1. Field of the Invention 4 This invention relates to a combined dumbbell or like weight assembly and grip exerciser device attached thereto and being structured and disposed relative to the weight assembly such that the user can exercise and strengthen his grip while utilizing the dumbbell in the intended manner.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Weight assemblies, commonly known as dumbbells, are extensively used for exercise and the development of certain muscle groups. Typically, such dumbbell type structures include a weight supporting bar having two spaced apart weight structures fixedly or removably attached thereto. When utilizing such conventional dumbbells or weight assembly, only the intended muscle groups are exercised and, therefore, developed.
In an effort to render an exercising technique more efficient, the prior art has developed certain grip exercising or like devices to be used with dumbbells so that both the grip and the selected muscle group can be concurrently developed. Such prior art assemblies are generally represented in the following U.S. patents. U.S. Pat. No. 1,026,215 to Korth, discloses a grip dumbbell wherein the fixed dumbbell structure has a grip exercising device with only one handle or gripping portion secured to the dumbbell by inserting a non-gripping portion into the interior thereof. Exercise of the g rip is accomplished by selectively "squeezing" the outwardly extending grip portion thereby forcing it towards the dumbbell. Korth does not show a grip exerciser which can be completely detached from the dumbbell structure and used independently thereof.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,113,791 to Latella and U.S. Pat. No. 1,229,658 to Sandow, both disclose dumbbells specifically structured to include as important components thereof a handle or grip structure which serves to exercise the grip of the user while the user is also exercising with the dumbbells and taking advantage of the weights associated therewith. The structure disclosed in both of these patents utilize biasing springs to generate resisting force to the grip. Again, neither of these structures can be used independently of the dumbbell as a grip exerciser device.
U.S. Pat. No. 965,284 to Dossetter and U.S. Pat. No. 2,263,135 to Johnson, both disclose an exercise including a grip means associated with some type of dumbbell or weight structure, but specifically wherein the grip exercising or testing device is considered a part thereof and not operable independently of any dumbbell or weight.
Other structures existing in the prior art are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,814,491 to Proctor and U.S. Pat. No. 4,681,315 to Yang. In these structures, generally hand grips use some type of spring or like mechanism as a force generating device resisting the closing or squeezing thereof and therefore exercising the grip of the user.